Chapter News Archive 2007

ASID WI Committee Volunteers Celebrate the 2006/2007 Year

By Pam Cramer, ASID

Posted: 8/24/07

The Second Annual Committee Volunteer Party was held on August 21st at the Milwaukee Ale House. Volunteers relaxed, shared stories and had a few drinks and snacks during the casual gathering. Rain held off long enough for enjoyment of the outdoor riverfront deck.

Many thanks to Rebecca Klotz, ASID; Elizabeth Sawicki, IP; Kristy Yang, ASID; Amy Warden, ASID; Lynn Vogeltanz, Allied ASID and Heather Westgor, Chapter Administrator who all helped to plan and prepare for this great celebration of all of our volunteers’ hard work and dedication.

THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who served on or chaired committees this year! For the complete listing of volunteers, check out the Board Members / Volunteers Page.

Note: If you are an ASID-WI Member Volunteer that was missed on the list, please contact Heather Westgor so that we can make the correction: heather@wamllc.net.

Keynote Presentation:
“Designs on the Future” at Interiors ’07
Friday March 16

By Bill Beaudreau, ASIDPosted: 7/27/07

Interiors ’07 – San Francisco. Wow. What a conference!…with all its learning sessions, opportunities to meet fellow ASID members from around the country, food and drink to prevent you from becoming hungry or thirsty, sights and sounds of the city all around, and awards to all those members who were recognized for the betterment of the interior design field. I strongly encourage you to attend the ASID Interiors conference in the future as the experience is rewarding, rich, and there’s nothing like being surrounded by interior designers for 3 solid days.

I attended many learning sessions over the course of the conference using a great big notepad supplied by the conference organizers. This article is 1 of 2 from the keynote sessions. It is essentially a summary of the PowerPoint presentation. When you have a chance, check out the company IDEO. They are doing amazing things.

Designs on the Future, Using Design as a Predictive Tool
Presented by Fred Dust – IDEO

Really Good Technolgy will Change People
e.g. Ipods vs. Walkmans vs. one to one conversations

People – A Thousand Different Futures

Demographics Can be Dangerous

There’s Trouble in Trends

at their most sophisticated, they require much interpretation

at their simplest, they are not robust

at their worst, they are self-perpetuating

Behaviors are Best

behaviors inform demographics

behaviors inform trends

behavior segmentation
e.g. 3 ways that people live in apartments

storytellers – statement to make

functionalists – live outside the house

campers – never really move in

Brand – It’s not how you look but where

The Essence is Empathy

empathy is where it really matters

an empathic shift
e.g. healthcare is about patients vs. the system – a current challenge lies in translating language use between the two

Scale is a Blinder (Risks in Benchmarks)

try to achieve clarity in the “grey market”

Know Why Things Succeed

failures still have something to say

you’ve achieved success, but why

Fast = Future

do it quickly rather than perfectly

Last Thought – What you spot is important, but what you do is more important.

Madison Community Service Project Ready to Gear-up for New Location

By Cindy Glaeden-Knott, ASIDPosted: 6/29/07

In mid-April, our committee completed a Schematic Design presentation to Common Threads for the preschool and resource center for children with Autism. The project was going to be housed in an existing 8500 SF residence/old firehouse space in Madison. Common Threads loved our ideas which were beyond what they had ever dreamed. We were in the process of assembling another team to begin design development when Common Threads found out they lost the space in a real estate deal only one week away from closing. We were all very disappointed but the project did not end.

Since the beginning of May, Common Threads has been searching for another building to transform. Jessica Mahne, ASID and Joe Powelka, the architect with whom we have been working, have accompanied Jackie Moen, Executive Director of Common Threads, in building tours to lend professional advice as to the possibilities of the spaces to meet the needs of Common Threads. Now, it looks like C.T. has found a new space that can be used to house the resource center and preschool. A couple members of this committee will be meeting with C.T. to tour the facility and discuss the new scope. All of our research and hard work will not go to waste, but will be used as a basis for the new program in the new space.

As soon as the space is confirmed and the real estate deal locked in, we will send out a notification to let all interested ASID members know about the new space, scope of work and volunteer need. Thanks to all of you who have a been a part of this project to date. Our hope is that everyone who was involved on the first space will be involved again in addition to new volunteers.

“Exploring Your Senses” was the theme for the May 8th WI Chapter ASID Program that was held in Wausau. Attendees were treated to tours of four different buildings which were selected so that a different sense could be experienced at each locale.

On May 9th the Wausau Daily Heraldran an article about out event. The following article has been reprinted with permission from the Wausau Daily Herald. Photos posted were taken by one of our members (not part of the news article).

Interior designers and students took advantage of Wausau’s historical downtown architecture this week when they participated in a program sponsored by the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.

“We wanted to do something fun and relaxing,” said Leah Drach, interior designer at Mary Ann Interiors in Wausau. Designers usually focus on aesthetics, she said. “We need to explore all our senses on a daily basis. Each sense plays a large role in how we interact and design our spaces.”

The event was designed to allow participants to look beyond images and explore the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and sound at four locations on Third Street.

The sense of sight was the theme at Van Dalfsen’s, where store owners Shawn and Heather Van Dalfsen told about the restoration of the 1892 bank building where towering windows now admit streams of natural light. Fashion also was on the agenda, as the Van Dalfsens discussed the interplay of color and texture on the human form.

At Making Waves, historical and contempory design come together in the store’s original tin ceiling and streamlined layout. The designers explored the sense of touch through a hand massage.

Down the street, the west side of the 600 block is the only substantial unbroken blockface retaining the scale and architecture of Wausau’s late 19th and early 20th century retail buildings.

Housed in a 106-year-old building, Evolutions in Design offers an eclectic mix of fountains, found objects, home accessories and unusual displays. Fresh plants and floral arrangements appeal to the sense of smell.

The 28 participants completed their tour — and explored the senses of taste and sound — at the Back When Cafe.

ASID-Wisconsin Chapter March Program

Gen Liesmeyer with Pillar Design Group enjoys social time before the program begins
Deborah brought plenty of examples to explain the importance of Light and Color in interior space.
Deborah Burnett speaking to the group

Color & Light…a designer’s paint box

By Catherine Hempfling-Prossen, ASIDPosted: 4/21/07

The ASID Wisconsin Chapter was honored to have Deborah Burnett come to Neenah to present the subject of Color and Light on Tuesday March 13th. Deborah was an energetic, entertaining speaker that was well versed in the importance of how Color and Light not only affects the interiors of space but also how it affects the users of the space. She gave the attendees strong scientific facts of how color can create a physical reaction and the how proper lighting can help amplify or dull that response. Every attendee walked away with not only .2 CEU credits but also a folder full of helpful tools that Deborah provided for use during this engaging workshop and beyond.

Thank you, Deborah for making the evening not only educational but also entertaining for our members.

WISCONSIN CHAPTER ASID 2006 DESIGN AWARDS GALA

The 2006 Wisconsin Chapter ASID Design Awards Gala “Green with Envy: Sustainability Meets Style” was a literal fashion forward welcome to the world of sustainable design. Unique compared to past Wisconsin ASID Design Awards Gala events, ASID Wisconsin hosted a fashion show at the Milwaukee Art Museum Calatrava Addition on February 8, 2007, as a prelude to the annual Design Awards presentation, embracing the talents and knowledge of local fashion designers, sustainable fabric manufacturers, and local “green” representatives. Fashion designers such as Shanel Reiger and Areka Ikeler (representing Fashion Ninja) utilized sustainable contract fabrics to create garments that were modeled by select “green” representatatives and members of ASID Wisconsin.

The soaring all-white interior of the Calatrava Addition was the backdrop for the presentation of the award-winning commercial and residential interior spaces that followed the fashion show, where an introduction of the new sustainable project category was recognized. A number of 2006 ASID Wisconsin Chapter Sponsors presented the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards and Design Award winners in the various project categories made their way down the runway to receive their awards. A special lounge seating area, sponsored by Design within Reach, was staged for photographs of the winning interior designers/design teams. The tall, branch-filled cylinders decorating each table reinforced the “green” theme of the evening, and added to the dramatic ambience – food, music and libations were enjoyed by all.

ASID Wisconsin was thrilled to have united these design forces together with “green” community leaders in the effort to remind all to design with sustainability in mind. The 2006 Wisconsin Chapter ASID Design Awards Gala was definitely an evening to remember, thanks to the efforts of the Design Awards Committee volunteers, and Catherine Hempfling-Prossen, ASID, Chapter Board Director of Professional Development. Not only was the evening memorable for the ASID Wisconsin design community, but for the larger “green” community as well.

Wisconsin Chapter ASID Community Service Project is in full swing

Designer, Dustin Struckmeyer and student, Marina Vasiljevic measure up the gorgeous master bath to be demolished to become a classroom.
Student, Rachel Weber records dimensions in one of the many bathrooms.
Left to right: Students Erin Meyers & Theresa Brennan document the amenities of the kitchen – hopefully to be salvaged for the school.
Designer Pam Cramer leads her team in the field verification of the kitchen.
Left to right: Designer Cindy Glaeden-Knott, and students Miranda Madole, and Sarah Dehlinger are the team to verify the dining room, sunroom and utility spaces.
Front – Student, Kelly Miller and Andrea Day bundle up while measuring the cold lower level multi-purpose room.

By Cindy Glaeden-Knott, ASIDPosted: 2/17/07

Several Madison area ASID designers and students have kept themselves very busy every Saturday since January 27th. The new chapter Community Service project in Madison is to design the Common Threads Preschool and Resource Center for children with Autism. It began on the 27th with a tour of the former 8500 square foot fire house, now a private residence. The tour was led by Common Threads founder and mother of two autistic children, Jackie Moen. Jackie passionately explained that we will be designing a therapy facility for autistic children and their families as well as the staff of teachers and therapists “who do the closest to God’s work that I have ever seen”. The therapists will work with preschool age children recently diagnosed with a form of autism. Our ASID chapter is completing every step of the design process from programming to furniture installation. Currently we are in the programming phase including surveying and field verifying the entire facility, researching autism and interior environments for children with autism, touring therapy rooms used for these children, and having multiple interviews and gathering the needs for Common Threads. We are finding that there is very little written from the interior designer’s standpoint on how to design for the autistic. Through our own interviews, research and observations, we are finding that there is actually much to write about!

This coming Saturday, February 17th, we will gather together for a design charette where we will share all of our individual research to date, then creatively brainstorm design solutions for the various spaces needed in the facility.

Thank you to the following designers who have given up so much of their time to be involved in this project to date:

Jessica Mahne, ASID

Pam Cramer, ASID

Cindy Glaeden-Knott, ASID

Brenda Brady, ASID

Brenda Celardo, Allied Member ASID

Dustin Struckmeyer

Allied Member ASID

Many of our UW-Madison ASID student chapter members have worked on the project as well. Thank you especially for all of your hard work on field verification day last Saturday!

All students who have volunteered their time to date are:

Ashley Wurster

Becca Wydra

Danielle Tallman

Janelle Carew

Natasha Fritsch

Kelly Miller

Sarah Dehlinger

Erin Meyers

Katy Higley

Lauren Scherer

Marina Vasiljevic

Rachel Weber

Andrea Day

Miranda Madole

Theresa Brennan

ASID – Wisconsin Holds a Successful STEP Class

By Catherine Hempfling-Prossen, ASIDPosted: 2/10/07

The ASID STEP (Self Testing Exercises for Pre-Professionals) Workshop helps candidates prepare to take the NCIDQ examination. In late January our chapter completed a workshop for 17 of our emerging professionals at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. The group size is always limited to ensure there is plenty of one on one attention with the national instructor who is trained to conduct the workshop. This workshop is 2-½ days of rigorous exercises and we are proud of those who have taken this step towards becoming a professional in our industry.

If you are an emerging professional and are interested in participating in the STEP Workshop we will be holding another class later this year so please stay tuned. If you have questions or want more information regarding the STEP program please go tohttp://www.asid.org/designer/NCIDQ+Preparation+-+STEP.htm.

Wisconsin Chapter ASID January CEU with Kevin Owens

Members continuing to learn during the Materials Chemistry CEU
Lars Karmann of Wilkahn and Jessica Mahne during the CEU
Kevin Owens of Metro talking with Jodie Thill at the CEU
Bill Beaudreau and Nan Marshall at the CEU

By Tina Raasch-Prost, ASIDPosted: 2/3/07

On January 9, 2007 at the Radisson Hotel in Pewaukee a .2 credit CEU was led by Mr. Kevin Owens, the Director of Product Application and Environmental Strategy for Metro Furniture—a Division of Steelcase. As Director of Environmental Strategy, Kevin works across all functions within Metro to continually advance Metro’s drive towards sustainability. Kevin became interested in the environment after attending a workshop led by architect Paolo Soleri in which Soleri taught the concept he called “arcology,” the melding of architecture and ecology. The ideas and values Kevin learned then have affected his personal and professional life ever since.

The first hour’s CEU was titled “Design for Sustainability through Lifecycle Thinking.” Kevin began with some sobering thoughts on how the environment is suffering. He talked about how the products we have created to help us are actually, in the long run, hurting not only us but also the environment due to the chemicals used in them. The second point he touched on was, with our planet’s large population growth, a larger consumption of energy is being required. We as a planet need to stop thinking lineally in product production, as we have in the past, and move to more of a cyclical production-and-use cycle. He then addressed what we can do as designers to help fix the situation. For a product to be sustainable the needs of the present must be met without compromising the needs of the future. For example, he described how current recycling methods cause the materials to be degraded each time. Cradle-to-cradle thinking involves making products that can be reused over and over again at the same level. Cost is always an issue with clients on every project. In the past there hadn’t been enough information to back up the additional up-front cost of building with environmentally friendly products. We now know that when building a LEED-Certified building the payback of those costs will occur in 3-4 years. After which time the building will be saving money for the owner. He also talked about how we as designers can lower environmental impact by specifying local products, items with less packaging, items with greater longevity, or made of recycled components.

The first hour’s CEU went hand in hand with the second hour, “Materials Chemistry: Understanding the Science of Materials We Use in Our Products.” Kevin explained how chemicals are being researched down to their base elements to identify which are harmful in their production or will be harmful in the future, either as a useable product or after its useable life is over (can it support a cyclical vs. lineal production cycle?) to help solve the problems addressed in the first hour. MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) is leading the way for companies to develop eco-effective products with Cradle to Cradle Design Protocol. After the base elements are identified they are rated on a risk level to human health and environmental reference criteria. A product is then given a rating of Green (little to no risk), yellow (low to moderate risk), orange (a complete assessment not available due to a lack of information), or red (high risk).

At the end of a product’s life cycle, ideally it should be able to be reclaimed and made into something else. Some ways we as designers can help the environment when specifying finishes for projects is to:

Get informed

Set goals

Ask the right questions

Understand what you specify

Take it personally

The key to Kevin’s message was this: Always try to continually improve, because there is no perfect environmental solution.

Feed Your Soul Event

Committee
Crowd
James Woggon
Peter Balistrieri
Renee Primeau

By Jackie Ford, ASIDPosted: 2/3/07

The third annual Feed Your Soul event, held on Friday, November 10th, was another tremendous success and continues to keep ASID involved in community projects in Wisconsin. The committee, which includes Jenny Rebholz, Deb Wolf, Jodie Thill, Libby Castro, Heather Balistrieri and Jackie Ford, all ASID members, began planning the silent art auction in February of 2006, focusing this year on developing a website (www.feedyoursoul.us) for this important fundraiser. The silent art auction involves wooden bowls that are given out to designers and architects, as well as 2D art donated by local artists and galleries. At the end of the evening the committee had raised over $30,000 in four hours, and saw 650 people attend! For the third year in a row this event was held at the fabulous Flux Design facilities in Riverwest. The Feed Your Soul committee has now risen over $60,000.00 in three years and every penny has been donated to America’s Second Harvest of Wisconsin. If you would like more information on this event or would like to get involved please contact Jackie Ford at jackief@eppsteinuhen.com.